Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Lesson one in working for the Negaverse: The White Moon Court is the bad guy, Negaverse is the good guy."

Buddingtonite may have been 26 years old, but as knowledgeable as he was about candies, chocolate, and the many methods of woohooing a partner, when it came to the whole underground war between White Moon and the Negaverse, he was quite the freshman. In his short stunt as a Negaverse lieutenant, he had managed to meet up with two extremely powerful and charismatic generals wielding spears, a Dark Mirror Senshi that was regrettably taken but otherwise a supposed 'ally', and a very easily gullible page.

But what he HADN'T run into was a bonafide Senshi of the White Moon, and Buddingtonite felt that it was simply unacceptable. But how could he lure one of the little Senshi out when the Negaverse made it clear that he was not to harm civilians or harvest energy? Well, he -could- do such things, but at the expense of receiving punishment, and if Painite was in charge of such a thing, then it was best not to invoke such wraths yet. At least not until he got a better weapon to defend himself, and maybe some karate lessons.

So, for now, he did what he had done to catch that Dark Mirror fellow's attention. He moved about in the park, twirling his pinwheel in a playful manner and reciting a song to himself, hoping to attract the attention of a fair White Moon senshi, even if only for observational purposes. "All this build up and not a single one can be seen... could they all be cowards, I wonder? Or perhaps hunting season has reached its end?"

He heard a footstep come from behind, and the sight of the obvious mugger made him sigh. Of all the attention he could have gotten from anyone, why did it have to be someone who looked so desperate for a quick buck that he didn't even bother trying to be secretive about it and hide his face? He certainly didn't hide his intention well, as he motioned him with the knife. "Hand over your wallet. Now!"

"I'll hand you my wallet, when you hand over your starseed. Sound like a fair trade?" Buddingtonite gave his pinwheel a twirl, his attention fully on the mugger and not on his surroundings. What did he have to fear from anyone now? He was a Negaverse lieutenant, just out on a friendly stroll, and he wondered how difficult it would have been to pluck the starseed out... after disarming him first. He wasn't too worried about the consequences- after all, he didn't have the ability to teleport just yet, and he was only defending himself, right? Though, he'd gladly welcome the company... should they have been friendly (or distracting enough for him to make his escape if he lacked the ability to take starseeds as well.)

Buddingtonite might have felt the Eternal Senshi approaching, had he not been thinking of the many ways he could try to make this foolish mugger pay for thinking he'd be walking away from this experience with any of his money. He had considered two, three things that could have been done before Pomona appeared on his inner radar, and by then, both he and the mugger were taken off guard. The lieutenant, ever eager and smiling, felt that he had a good control over his emotions and hoped that she couldn't see how he initially jumped at her presence, but the same couldn't be said for the other man there.

His eyes went wide when he realized who she was, and he all but dropped his knife and fled at the sight of her, much to Buddingtonite's surprise. What did this mugger know that he didn't? He knew her to be a Senshi of the White Moon Court (her attire was a dead giveaway to that!), and by just how extravagant and over the top her design was (yet pleasing to the eye), she to have been a rank (or two) above him.

Still, was fleeing in terror really worth that kind of reaction? Buddingtonite considered doing the same, but only for a moment. He was looking for a Senshi, wasn't he? Who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth? He wore a wide smile, taking in the appearance of his enemy and considering the chances of exchanging a few words before they possibly came to blows as he addressed her. "So, finally, I get a good look at my enemy. I should thank you from sparing me the trouble of getting my hands dirty- he would have been my first one, so it would have likely been very juicy."

He rather liked what he saw, despite her being his enemy. How old were most of these Senshi, anyway? It would be rude to ask a regular lady this, asking one that felt as strong as she did would have been suicide, no doubt. Still, she hadn't immediately attacked him, so perhaps there was a chance to talk things out. "I am Lieutenant Buddingtonite. Now it's your turn, miss...?"

Buddingtonite didn't have a thought or care in the world for the mugger now. Negaverse lieutenant he may be, but he had no idea how to pull out starseeds yet and he didn't have the time to teach himself how to do it. So, in a way, Pomona was definitely doing him a favor, and besides, she was definitely more interesting than some common street thug any day of the week. In response to her question, he answered with honesty- after all, it had to be painfully obvious that he was new to this war if she was able to point it out so easily, and it would have been foolish to try and hide the blatant truth.

"In fact I am, Pomona," Buddingtonite said, remaining polite to the senshi, despite being an enemy of his. His mind was full of questions, and seeing how willing she was to talk, he figured now would be the best time to pry the answers out of her, minus torture that he suspected he could not apply to her even if he tried his little hardest. Not that he wanted to hurt that beautiful body of hers just yet... "So new am I that you are the first senshi I've ever seen. I've heard little about your kind, so would you be willing to answer a few questions for me before we decide to duke it out?"

Something told him that if he picked a fight with her that it might not have ended well. He wasn't well versed in the whole energy sensing ability yet, but he couldn't deny that she felt like she was much, much stronger than him. Then there was the whole wings on her butt... where they on her butt, or just the lower back? And were they functional? All questions he would ask, if given the chance.

Buddingtonite cocked an eyebrow, looking at her buttwings and not at all caring if it appeared that he was checking the young woman out. It was like women wearing skimpy outfits but getting angry when a man or another woman made a pass- if you weren't meant to LOOK at the beautiful wings that were placed right above the rear, then why would they have been placed there in the first place. Now, it made total sense why they were present, and her explanation made him step back, physically and mentally. "So, those wings are like the yellow and black stripes on a wasp? Aesthetically pleasing to the eye but a warning not to mess with you? Very well... warning taken!"

He made a mental note of such wings, and it certainly made sense why the sensation she brought with her was making his inner radar go haywire. As confident he was in his own abilities and ingenuity, it would seem wise to not prod the enemy at this given moment. Maybe once he worked his way up the ranks, or perhaps an opportunity could present itself. But for now, she seemed willing to answer his questions, and he wasn't going to allow this chance to slip through his gloved fingers.

"Now, onto the questions," Buddingtonite said, looking her over and twirling his pinwheel in approval. The way he held it was like one of those old fashioned, foxy ladies in the black and white movies, and while he tried not to appear outwardly amused, he was completely invested in what this one had to say. "What is your mission here on Earth, and why Destiny City? How many Senshi are you... furthermore, how many are like you, and how does one obtain them? Are they functional at all, or just a warning?"

For example, if he took a knife and jabbed it into her wings, would they bleed? He'd rather find this out on his own instead of ask, but he lacked the weapon, and the guts, to attempt such a thing on this one. And what did she mean by 'attack'? Was this the dreaded magic he was warned of? He was just too curious for his own good!

He kept his gaze on the buttwings as well as her assets, but he made no motion to reach for them or grab at them. That would have been just rude, and the moment she said they were useless decoration, it was more of a turn off for him. Suddenly, the thought of flying Eternal senshi reigning doom upon his city and himself was gone from his mind, and that actually made them a little more... boring to him. And it shown in the way he sighed and brought his gaze back to her face, and more importantly, her words.

It was a lot to absorb, but he had also flooded her with questions, so in the end it was his own fault and he accepted this. At least she seemed more interested in educating rather than obliterating him, which, if she was as powerful as she claimed to be in this rank, he was grateful for.

Satisfied with the answers he received, Buddingtonite racked his mind for some more questions, drawing closer to her and now wanting to get a good look at her attire. "Interesting. You come from outer space but you consider Destiny City your home? I suppose I can understand- it is a nice city and I'd hate it if someone told me to leave. I suppose that's why none of you feel like leaving our planet, even if it'd bring a peaceful end to the war?"

Buddingtonite reached for a piece of her dress, forgetting for a moment that he was wearing gloves and therefor wouldn't be able to feel the fabric. He rubbed it between his thumb and fingers, before making a face and dropping it entirely, as if completely disinterested in it suddenly. "And tell me, what do you consider 'unnecessary violence'? With whom? Us? Protecting civilians is -our- job, last I checked, so if you think you're protecting them when we are, then it seems like we have a pretty big mess up in communications on our hands."

He may have sounding condescending, but he was genuinely curious. All of the Negaverse officers he had met assured him that he was the one doing the protecting of civilians from the White Moon Court, yet here came this senshi claiming to protect civilians from the Negaverse. Someone was obviously lying, or misinformed. Not that Buddingtonite truly believed Pomona, nor his own Negaverse, when it came to who was protecting civilians. Someone was lying, or simply misinformed. Buddingtonite was curious as to who, as he looked to her, eager for her answer. Once he got that, then he'd poke her about this things called a 'Guardian cat'... as they tickled his curiosity as well!

He wasn't quite expecting her to open up to him quite like that, and Buddingtonite had to admit that she had his complete and undivided attention now. He may have crossed his arms, but it wasn't to appear uninviting or angered. If anything, it showed how intently he was listening, taking in her rants and picking out the important details. This was information he hadn't received from anyone in the Negaverse as of yet, and it seemed extremely contradicting to the 'EVIL WHITE MOON COURT HERE TO INVADE THE PLANET' mindset that his own organization seemed to want him to believe.

Which meant that he had joined the Negaverse under false pretenses, or perhaps a clever ruse from the enemy to rustle his jimmies and rattle his brain. The problem was, after hearing her rant, he wasn't quite sure which one, and it shown in how much he wanted to break eye contact and the way his finger tapped against his arm in consideration. No amount of his considerable ability to perfect a poker face could hide that, he feared, and he only hoped that she wouldn't try to take advantage of that.

At the end of her explanation, he decided that the topic was a little too heavy, and not wanting to drag himself down with the hopelessness of her situation and how he legitimately pitied her, he gave a playful shrug of the shoulders. "So... what you're saying is that corralling all of you into a giant spaceship and sending you back to space isn't going to work? Hm... and here I thought US border patrol had his rough."

Then again, there were some firm believers in allowing US citizens to shoot and kill illegal immigrants on sight, and Buddingtonite was curious how many in his own faction had felt this way. It seemed like a decent enough analogy, but he didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, he had brought up another point in regards to starseeds and gathering energy, and for that, he couldn't fight the smallest sliver of guilt that he felt within him. And when he was unable to hide his guilt, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"As for the starseed thing, I will confess that I am more than aware of the results. I've witnessed it myself recently... and could have very well have been a victim of it, which is why I'm here," Buddingtonite admitted, standing firm but no where near as confident as he once was a few moments ago. "I was unaware that members of my faction did such a thing regularly- admittedly, I'm very new to this gig, and thus far I am unable to take starseeds for myself, whether it be to awaken their true potential or take their life. Even if I was, I am told not to... in fact, I was told not to harm civilians at all costs and to focus my attention on the Senshi threat."

Which meant that his threat against the mugger was nothing more than a bluff and he was openly admitting to that, but he figured that he could offer Pomona some truth, given how open she was to him. "As for gathering energy... well, that's really all some people are good for. If they cannot fight along side me as a lieutenant, or under me as a Senshi, then they could at least offer their energy to me. Otherwise, they're useless, or worse... they become your potential fodder, and I'd rather them dead than to give your court another advantage."

He knew that probably came out harsh, even cruel, but if Pomona could be truthful with him, than he owed it to her to return the favor. If someone wasn't an ally or fodder, then they were someone else's recruit or fodder. There were no innocents in war- everything and everyone could be an asset. To Buddingtonite, that's simply how things were. To his knowledge.

"The Enterprise is a piece of crap anyway... there's no way a starship that looks like that can ever make it into deep space travel." Buddingtonite allowed from a very small geek side to be seen to Pomona, though just as quickly as he flashed it, he hid it away with a sneer. In truth, he didn't care if the Senshi left or not- if they all just up and left, that would have made their job easier. Boring, but much easier. However, there would be little fun in that, and not to mention, as Pomona stated, completely impossible. So, it was best to assume that their problems with the White Moon Court wouldn't simply pack their bags and leave.

Which was all the same to Buddingtonite. Wars with quick solutions were often the ones that were quickly forgotten, and he didn't want to simply be forgotten, especially so soon. When she openly questioned him on his beliefs, he bobbed his head. "Precisely. It's not really a Negaverse thing, but a -me- thing, so don't go quoting me to others. There's a few in my organization that are willing to play it safe, portray themselves to be noble heroes of some sort, and then there are others that would make Charles Manson turn his head in disgust."

He pointed to himself, not at all caring about the insult she flung at him. If the shoe fit, he was not only going to wear it, but he was going to flaunt it. "Me? I simply like to think everything and everyone has a use. They may not like their lot in life, but then again, this is war. No one has to like it. They simply must chose to get involved, or risk becoming victims. The third option is to donate their energy to a cause, and if you're not willing to take advantage of their energy, then I will be more than happy to do it for myself."

He was growing tired of the conversation, at least, that's how he wanted it to appear. He fiddled around with his pinwheel, giving it another playful twirl and looking around the park, perhaps eyeing someone he could make an example of to the other senshi. "I see you want peace, but there won't be any peace. There are no innocents in war, either. If you don't make a stand for yourself, then you're nothing more than a rung on a ladder for those willing to climb their way to the top. I know that, and I think, deep down inside, so do you."

Buddingtonite wasn't quite sure what to make of her behavior. She said she was annoyed with people acting like petulant toddlers, yet she turned away and stormed off like a posh child that didn't get her way. He wasn't going to bring this out into the open, because truthfully, it could have ended a lot differently, and she did handle the situation rather well. After all, he was often told that he was an insufferable jerk and she seemed to know when to walk away.

That was very admirable of her, if not a little confusing for the lieutenant. He was told by his higher ups that Senshi were his mortal enemy, that they'd attack a lonesome lieutenant without a moment's hesitation. But this one... had not. And he knew she could have. She even stated it. And she was right.

Which made part of him turn cold and want to shiver at the thought of just how easily she could have decimated him if it broke out into a fight. And another part of him felt disgusted. As though she thought him not worthy of her efforts. As though... she had made a great mistake in leaving him alive. It was a conflicting churn of emotions within him, one that he wasn't quite prepared for and it shown when he could not think of a single witty comeback to her statement.

So, he gave a huff, straightened his hat, and mimicked her perfectly, though with a bit more finesse. It was only when she had gotten a considerable distance that he found his wit to call back to her, and he didn't stick around long enough to see the look on her face. "You should have. Because I intend on climbing my way to the very top, and I care not for how many I must step on to get there!"

Perhaps a foolhardy thing to say, to one that he knew could simply turn around and attack him, but he didn't regret his words. Nor his thoughts or belief. She wanted peace. He knew it to be impossible. Someone was going to have their hopes and dreams crushed, and he was determined that it would not be him.